Darlington Hippodrome – until Saturday 22nd August 2026
Reviewed by Adam Craddock
5*****
Last night I had the pleasure of being invited along to the always wonderful Darlington Hippodrome to watch the latest leg of the UK and Ireland tour of Paul Hendy’s “The Last Laugh”. This is a play I’ve been looking forward to come up for review for a good while now and (spoiler alert) it did not disappoint! The play follows an imagined pre show backstage chat between the legendary comedians Tommy Cooper, Eric Morecambe and Bob Monkhouse as they prepare in their dressing room to go on for a show. We see a brilliant combination of familiar gags and quirks, but also a lovely imagined interaction between three of comedy’s greats.
Damian Williams is out of this world as Tommy Cooper. Williams just oozes funny, he has that knack of being funny funny without doing a thing at all, which somehow makes him even more funny. His delivery of the gags was second to none and I deeply admire his performance. Bravo! Simon Cartwright is fabulous as Bob Monkhouse. Cartwright is an accomplished impressionist and that is evident in his portrayal of Monkhouse, but you can also really feel the personal connection he had with the legend he portrays, which we were very lucky to find out about in the very interesting post show question and answer session. Steve Royle delivers an impeccable comedic performance as Eric Morecambe. Royle is a veteran of the comedy circuit and yet it is so endearing to see him take on this role that so obviously inspired him, and may I say he has brilliant ukelele skills for a newbie!
In terms of production values I rate this play very highly. The set was full off comedic props and Easter eggs, but was also very real to what an 80’s dressing room was like. The lighting and sound design were both spot on and the costume and props department must be commended for their work, particularly the birds feet!
Overall I could not recommend this play more highly. This is a show where three masters of their craft pay a beautiful homage to those that came before. I think this is a true must see for a comedy fan of any age.